There are lots wonderful seasonal things filling grocery store shelves right now: Egg nog, peppermint bark, cheese logs. One thing that gives me great joy is Trader Joe’s Candy Cane Green Tea. It is the perfect way to end any meal. Did you know that green tea is a great breath freshener? And, because it’s decaffeinated I can sip it on the couch while I watch Boardwalk Empire. Which I’m about to do right now.

If you have a Trader Joe’s near you, I seriously suggest you stock up. (I have enough to get me through the next season of Downton Abbey — starting in January.) What is your favorite holiday-only grocery store gem? Please share! — Angela M.

It’s no secret that we’re java junkies here at Shelterrific, but who else can claim that coffee is literally in their blood? (My grandmother’s maiden name? Coffee. No joke.) My birthright coffee geekdom previously consisted of meticulously pulled shots, searching for the perfect foam, and even visiting a coffee plantation. But after being gifted a ziplock bag full of tiny, sage-green tinted beans — Kenya, Grade A — I was going to the next level.

I had seen a post about popcorn-popper home roasting a while back at Not Without Salt, but being without the means or inclination to purchase more equipment, I consulted my friend and polymath Solange, who has been playing with home roasting herself. She had been using her oven with great results. She pointed me to this basic how-to and off I went.

The site suggests using a perforated tray for air circulation, but the beans fell through my grill basket, so I just went with a basic baking sheet. I threw open all the windows, preheated my oven, popped in the tray filled with beans (in a single layer), and got a wooden spoon ready. After about 2 minutes of roasting, I opened the oven and began to shake the pan around, stirring the beans. The most important thing is to keep those beans moving. After about 5 minutes of moving and shaking, I finally started to see some color happening and a light, toasty aroma. I kept taking the pan out of the oven to check the color, which is a good guide, but there are also sounds to help you along. Once the beans get really roasting, the smell starts getting more intense and the beans will make a sound like popcorn popping. This stage is called “first crack”, and some people like to end roasting at this point, to preserve delicate, varietal aromas. I took mine a little darker, to a “city roast” — just before the beans go into the “second crack”.

Once the beans were roasted to my liking, I tossed them into a colander and blew off the chaff that comes off when roasting. After that, I tossed them in a tight-sealing jar and into a cupboard to let it off gas. This takes anywhere from 4-48 hours, depending on the roast. It’s hard to be patient, but those flavors really do have to develop. The darker the roast, the longer you wait. After waiting a whole 24 hours, I pulled my first double-shot of home-roasted Kenya. Worth the efforts, the crema was thick and creamy, the flavors juicy, sweet, and bright; without a doubt I’ll be doing this again. Maybe I’ll get to buying another method, but for now, this has worked great. Now I just need to get more green beans! — Megan B.

Sources for home roasting info and equipment:
Sweet Maria’s
Brew Organic

I came across a beginner level do-it-yourself on the adorable blog Nifty Thrifty Things: homemade sugar cubes. All you need is a little bit of time, sugar, water, and a cute candy mold or ice cube tray. Nifty Thrifty Things’ Vanessa used a heart shaped tray and was so pleased with the results, she promised to experiment with food coloring on her next go! Custom made sugar cubes are an easy, great looking addition to all those prim and proper wedding and baby showers you’ll have to throw this summer. Happy crafting! — Katie D.

I love thermoses and carafes — vacuum flasks as they’re technically known. Maybe it hearkens back to my Snoopy thermos in first grade, filled with perfectly piping hot tomato soup for lunch, or to my first date with my now husband, who poured me a sip of syrupy espresso from his trusty Nissan stainless thermos (still in action to this day). But now, I find myself snatching vintage thermoses up on every thrifting trip I’ve been on of late. I’m pretty choosy about which ones I buy, so I’m careful to inspect them for (1) gross odors (2) shattered or cracked glass liners (yes many of the vintage varieties were glass, which makes them fragile) and (3) the condition of the seals. Most of what I’ve bought has been pristine — hardly, if ever used — which helps seal the deal. If you’re willing to risk it, eBay is a treasure trove of vintage vacuum flasks: this beauty is $9.99, BIN (with returns accepted).

My favorite? That heavy, unbreakable stainless Uno-Vac in the back. That bad boy has seen some life — and is still, amazingly, spotless and funk-free inside. Later this week, Ol’ Ironsides (as I’ve dubbed it) will be filled with 24 oz. of something delicious (which, depending on the weather, will be either hot or cold) and brought along on our hike into the forest as part of our five year wedding anniversary celebration! — Megan B.

I tend to drink more tea in the summer than I do in the winter thanks to the frostbite-inducing office air conditioning. That means that, year round, I’m on the look out for cute tea accessories. My newest obsession comes from Yanko Designs. The Tea Diver ($20) is based on the shape of a traditional Korean deep sea diver, Meoguri. Fill this little guy with your favorite loose leaf, dunk him underwater, and enjoy! –- Katie D.

As far as I’m concerned, summer movies begin and end with Jaws. Gripping and terrifyingly authentic, Jaws defined the summer movie blockbuster. It also makes me homesick. I grew up in New England and spent many summers on the beaches that the fictional monster stalked (da dun. . . da dun. . . da dun. . .). Lucky for me, Chicago screens the iconic film on the shores of Lake Michigan every summer. This year, I plan on including this shark koozie ($18) in my picnic basket to the screening. From etsy user Handamade, the adorable, button-eyed shark is a soothing reminder that not all sharks are man eaters- some of them just want to make sure your hands don’t get too cold while you’re holding your beverage! –- Katie D.

Growing up, our house didn’t have a bar per se, more of a shelf in the entryway closet with booze of unknown antiquity and a handful of bottles of homemade Kahlua (that I occasionally snuck from… shhh! don’t tell mom). As an adult, I’ve grown to appreciate the art of a well-made cocktail — specifically, the Negroni. I’ve taken such a liking to them, I decided to bite the bullet and stock my home bar with the components. Dry Fly Gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth are now proudly on display, along with my assortment of Fee Brothers Bitters and a couple of vintage cocktail shakers. I’m sure I’ll add more to it eventually, but for now, it’s all I need. Those bottles and shakers all arranged make me feel so fancy and grown up. How about you? Is your home bar spartan, like mine, or does it look more like the (impressive) photo above? — Megan B.

photo courtesy of flickr user Rennett Stowe

Last Monday we took the day off to observe Memorial Day and celebrate the kickoff of another summer season. Today we tip our hats to the ambassador fruit of the season by taking pause to recognize the little corner of the internet dedicated expressly to it: Watermelon.org . Whether enjoyed alone or receiving top billing in a popsicle combo, watermelon is one of my all-time favorite fruits and the surest sign (besides the firing of the “check filter” light on my air conditioner) that summer has indeed arrived. This year I’m interested in incorporating the fruit in different ways. For starters, I’m looking to Megan B.’s much-loved recipe for watermelon with feta and mint and Nigella Lawson’s watermelon, feta and black olive salad, which comes highly-recommended by our readers. In the beverage department, 21st Amendment brews a seasonal “Hell or High Watermelon” wheat beer that I’d love to track down and introduce to my taste buds, and for more recipes, both cocktail and otherwise, I’ll be looking to the experts at the National Watermelon Promotion Board, but I’d love to put the call out to our readers as well. Have any watermelon-pairing epiphanies to share? Sound off in comments, I’m all ears and the summer has just begun! Here’s to you, watermelon. 92% water, 100% delicious. – Sarah C.

As I’ve been preparing for this year’s run of the summer wedding gauntlet, I’ve noticed a pattern: Crate & Barrel’s cold beverage jar with stand, $49.95, has been on every single registry I’ve looked at. I love everything beverage dispensers stand for: summer parties, cocktails, refreshing drinks! But never have I actually attended an event where I’ve seen one in action. Yes, considering the trend the reason could lie in the fact that the friends that would have the type of soiree that calls for one haven’t received them yet, but still, this item seems to be a popular one for these summer registries. It also calls to mind Anthropologie’s designer version, $298, but with its equally Anthropologie price tag, my summer drink serving needs are best left to the registry specialists at Crate & Barrel. What do you think, readers? Any other hot registry items to keep on the radar? Did you ask for a beverage dispenser, and if so, do you use it? — Sarah C.

Related:
planning a wedding: fun with the registry
post off: what item just didn’t work for you?
wedding registry idea: something old instead of new

I remember distinctly the first time I tasted a sour ale, at one of our weekly beer tastings about 7 years ago. None of us there really enjoyed it at all — in fact, it was collectively declared to be “redolent with notes of SweetTarts”. Little did I know on that night, but that distinct, sour flavor would grow on me; causing me to reject the piney, hop-bomb, palate-killing IPA’s of my past for something lighter, and MUCH more food-friendly. Sour ales got their start in Belgium, where beers are fermented spontaneously in open wooden barrels. The wild yeasts (notably brettanomyces) and bacteria (such as lactobacillicus) that collect in these barrels add a dryness and complexity that is only enhanced further through a secondary bottle fermentation. The resulting brew is unlike any other beer you’ve tried — think actual Champagne rather than Miller High Life. Recently, American craft breweries like Russian River Brewing Company and New Belgium Brewery have championed the style, and it’s slowly but surely been gaining a passionate following among beer enthusiasts everywhere. If you’d like to sample a sip of this mouth-puckering delight, then I’ve got some choice recommendations:

-Russian River Brewing Company, Temptation Ale (pictured above)

-Duchesse du Bourgogne, a Flemish red ale

-New Belgium Brewery Lips of Faith “La Folie”

-Monk’s Cafe Flemish sour red ale

And if you do try some, make sure to serve it in a tulip or goblet, not a pint glass — and pour slowly, allowing the sediment to remain in the bottom of the bottle! — Megan B.